


Small and New

by SonjaJade



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Gen, Parenthood, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 06:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16969122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonjaJade/pseuds/SonjaJade
Summary: Sesshomaru awaits the arrival of his firstborn and learns a lot in the hours between simply being Rin's mate and becoming someone's father, from the unlikeliest of sources.





	Small and New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FoxDemonGirl84](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxDemonGirl84/gifts).



> I got a wonderful comment on another collection of fics I have for Sesshomaru and Rin called "Most Treasured" from   
> FoxDemonGirl84, saying: "Please, please, please.....come back and more Sessrin stuff! You write them so well and I absolutely need more!"
> 
> This is dedicated to her!

The night was gray and still, and flurries came down lazily as if nothing in the world were happening at all. Though the castle grounds appeared to be the setting for a serene and quiet night for the Lord of the West and his human mate, inside their palatial home could not have been more frenzied.

The Aristocratic Assassin paced anxiously, eyes flashing between gold and red and teal, fangs lengthening and retracting, claws twitching with anxiousness. His nose flared constantly as he moved impatiently back and forth in the hall- and what few servants he kept at the castle made sure to give him plenty of space and not disturb him.

The only one brave enough to interrupt his vigil at all was Jaken, and he nervously approached his Lord with caution, only to ask if Sesshomaru wanted any refreshments while he waited.

He answered with a piercing glare, one that scared the toad into sputtering an apology while quickly back pedaling.

He could have demanded to be let into the birthing chamber. He could have drawn his sword and bullied his way to his mate’s side to witness the birth of his first born. But his Rin, his small human Lady, had asked him calmly to let her bring forth the hanyou he’d given unto her womb, that it was her duty alone to deliver the fruit of their union. He’d obeyed her wishes, but he hadn’t known that it would be so difficult to await the child’s arrival.

He’d sent Jaken at once to take Ah-Un and fetch InuYasha’s wife to help with the delivery. He wasn’t sure if the woman knew anything about bringing babies of any kind into the world, but he knew she’d borne a son to his half-brother, and she had some experience in bearing children that were not wholly human.

But she’d entered Rin’s room hours ago, and he could sense how much pain she was suffering through from the mate mark he’d bitten into her shoulder. Though she’d kept her voice quiet for the most part, Sesshomaru had no idea how much longer it would be before he could reunite with her and finally meet the first of their children.

He became aware of his half-brother’s scent on the outermost edges of his senses, slowly approaching, then easing away again. A few moments later, it seemed to come closer and back off once more. Sesshomaru was becoming annoyed at whatever game InuYasha was trying to play. He stormed outside and scanned the perimeter of the courtyard, finally spotting the familiar red jacket that had once belonged to their father along the wall.

“Be still or leave!” Sesshomaru shouted.

InuYasha jumped down to the snow-covered grass below and walked over to him, grinning. “A watched pot don’t boil, y’know. You probably should go hunt or do somethin’ besides hang around here.”

“This Sesshomaru will not leave his mate when his first born is on his way.”

InuYasha shrugged. “Might be a long wait. Kagome’s labor was almost two days long, and our boy’s only a quarter hanyou. Rin’s could be longer, since yours is half.”

Sesshomaru was never one to show his emotions, carefully keeping his face as stony as his voice. But he sensed somehow InuYasha knew he’d said something thought provoking.

“This one does not repeat himself,” he said, turning on his heel in a flurry of silk and silver hair, striding back to the hallway where he was surely wearing down a permanent path.

“You’ve said _that_ more than once!” InuYasha cried behind him, but Sesshomaru ignored him and went inside.

“Jaken,” he called loudly. Within an instant, his vassal appeared. He scurried to his master quickly and awaited his orders.

“Yes, milord?”

“Wine. Pork. Bring it to my study.” He turned and walked away as Jaken assured his meal would be brought to him as soon as possible. However, InuYasha’s presence seemed to still be lingering, and though Sesshomaru would never admit it- to himself or otherwise- having someone around with experience in the birthing of mixed yokai children was somewhat reassuring. He slowed his steps, for the briefest of moments.

“InuYasha, join me.”

Though they were rooms apart and dealing with the same situation drastically different, he could feel Rin’s happiness at his having invited his once mortal enemy to dine with him. They were far from being close, and his half-brother was at times incredibly annoying, but the intense animosity between them had died down, and this made both human women they’d pledged their lives to grateful and relieved that their children might be able to mend the rift in their family.

At first, InuYasha seemed hesitant to follow, but eventually did come along behind, and when Sesshomaru entered his study, true to Jaken’s word, wine and fresh pork awaited them. He elegantly sat down on a cushion in front of the low table the feast had been presented upon and watched as InuYasha awkwardly tried to sit down without flopping to the floor. For a long moment, InuYasha didn’t even speak, let alone attempt to grab any of the meat sitting there. The platter of warm, savory, and still bleeding flesh smelled tantalizing, and he could see the hunger in InuYasha’s eyes as he snuck glances at it. Finally, Sesshomaru remedied the silence.

“Eat. This one knows your woman does not let you eat uncooked kills.” When InuYasha looked at him with a questioning expression, Sesshomaru cracked a few ribs from the boar’s backbone and tossed it toward him. The hanyou caught it without issue and he snorted greedily at the scent. “Rin and Kagome are very close- Rin tells this one everything. Eat.”

Faintly, jagged stripes bloomed on InuYasha’s cheeks and something in Sesshomaru relaxed. The pattern was the same as their father’s; his gesture of food had spoken to the demon blood coursing through InuYasha’s body, and in that moment, he seemed more yokai than human.

“Thank you,” he muttered as his irises darkened from gold to blue.

Sesshomaru’s mild satisfaction with InuYasha’s reaction to the boar ribs soon soured when his half-brother began to eat like a piranha that hadn’t seen food in weeks. He went back to carefully slicing his own meal into chunks and eating them from the points of his claws, watching the spectacle of the fool before him.

For a time, the only sound in the room was InuYasha’s lips smacking as he ate and the song of the sparrows in the trees. Just when Sesshomaru thought he might be able to make it through this minor distraction in peace, InuYasha found his voice.

“She’s gonna be real tired,” he said gently, betraying his yokai features that had appeared in his face and eyes. “Kagome slept for almost a whole day after the delivery. Sango had to feed Taru a few times because we couldn’t even wake her up.”

Though Sesshomaru said nothing about how valuable this information was, he continued to listen closely. Even his sharp and ever-vigilant monitoring of his mate’s pain faltered at InuYasha’s words.

His brother wiped his face on his sleeve. “And the first time he had his transformation… that was scary for everyone. Ya know Taru is mostly human, so on full moons he changes into a half demon. The first time it happened was really painful for him, because he didn’t have any teeth and then he had fangs all the sudden, and his ears changed and he screamed the whole time.” InuYasha shook his head. “I never saw Kagome so scared before. But he finally quieted down and by mornin’ he was alright again.”

“Did you not see Totosai?” Sesshomaru asked, despite not wanting to appear interested.

“Course I did! But even Tessaiga don’t keep me from havin’ human nights!”

That wasn’t something the Lord of the West had anticipated. He’d been confused as to why InuYasha transformed, not realizing it happened regularly and on a schedule. “There is no way to stop these transformations?”

“If there is, I dunno what it is, or else both me and my son wouldn’t have to go through ‘em.”

Sesshomaru returned to his meal. “Hn.”

“Anyway, Rin’s gonna be real tired too, and you can forget about ruttin’ for a little while. Best thing you can do for her is hold her, ‘specially while she’s nursin’ ‘cause apparently that was Kagome’s favorite thing in the world for about three moons.” He gnawed on a rib bone until it cracked open, then sucked the marrow out. “When Taru started eating solids, I took over feeding him half the time. That’ll make her real happy, too.” He grinned. “She’d get this funny look on her face and just smile like she was lookin’ at a god or somethin’… And _that’s_ when we started ruttin’ again.”

Sesshomaru closed his eyes in annoyance and InuYasha apologized. “You enjoy fatherhood, that is what this one understands.”

InuYasha smiled. “It ain’t easy, but it’s the most important thing I’ve ever done in my whole life. And probably after Kagome sees your pup, she’ll want another one, so then it’ll be doubly important.”

Sesshomaru took a long drink of his wine. “Two pups. It seems too much.”

InuYasha laughed, then stood up and wandered to the window. “Miroku and Sango have four! And another on the way!”

“Lechery ends with a long string of offspring,” Sesshomaru deadpanned.

“Nah, they’re happy and he takes good care of ‘em all. I don’t think they’re gonna have any more after this one. Even they know when it’s time to stop being so careless.”

A stretch of silence filled the room as dawn emerged from the horizon. Rin’s pain was intensifying, and she had a sense of urgency that Sesshomaru didn’t sense from her before. “This waiting in insufferable.”

“When did her pains start?”

“Two nights ago. This is the second morning this one has seen since her labor began.”

InuYasha crossed his arms into the sleeves of the Fire Rat. “Pretty sure it’ll be today. You got a wet nurse? I’m tellin’ you, she’s gonna be exhausted for a while.”

“Rin has the Meidou Seki shard in her, she is more resilient than most human women. She may be perfectly fine-”

Before he could finish his sentence, the scent of human blood and the sound of an infant crying filled the air, and he blinked away in his crackling energy orb toward the source. He knew the blood was Rin’s and the cry belonged to his pup. The beast inside him demanded he go to them immediately and defend them from whatever was causing their distress, so he burst through the door of the birthing chamber-

In the center of the room was a futon and an elaborate and ostentatious privacy screen blocking his view of anything that was happening. But Rin’s voice was elated and joyful, despite crying in pain.

“Come out, little one!” she begged over the pup’s wailing.

The midwife, one from his mother’s own court, assured her the pup was nearly out. “I have but one last small cut to make, my lady. Your child has a broad chest already.”

“Um, excuse me?” he heard Kagome say. “Maybe if she gets on her hands and knees it will change the angle? I had trouble until I moved to mine when I delivered my son.”

He heard the midwife huff, annoyed likely at being told by a human how to do her job. “No. A cut will heal just as well.”

“But you could cut a blood vessel and she could bleed out! Or you could sever nerves-”

Sesshomaru could stand it no more. He stormed to the privacy screen and glared over it at the midwife. Rin was lying flat on her back, knees apart, and her hands were fisted in the silk sheets underneath her- and he could see the back of his firstborn’s head, covered in bloodied white hair. Rin looked relieved to see him, Kagome surprised, and the midwife terrified. “Change her position. Cut her again and it will be your blood on my lips.”

She nodded quickly, and Kagome helped Rin into a different posture. Rin panted there was some relief from the pain in this change, and Sesshomaru demanded Kagome take over. He watched as she carefully used her fingers to work around the pup’s neck, freeing its shoulders and slowly maneuvering the tiny body slowly down. After what seemed like an eternity, enough of his heir emerged that Kagome was able to pull him all the way out. The cries quieted some, likely relieved to be free from the compression of the birth canal. Rin flopped to her side. Her breath came in ragged gasps, tears streamed from her face- but she was smiling.

“Go!” she breathed. “Go look!”

Kagome and the midwife’s assistant immediately bathed the child, and she announced proudly, “Lord Sesshomaru, it’s a girl!”

Sesshomaru, Lord of the West and the heir to the legendary Inu no Taisho, a powerful demon that spoke without emotion and gave nothing of his inner thoughts away to anyone other than his mate, could not stop his eyes from widening in wonder at the pup his mate had just borne him. He could not keep his mouth from opening slightly in surprise- he was so sure they would have a son. He couldn’t help himself when he reached out for the tiny bundle Kagome gently passed to him, and with the finesse and care of someone carrying a holy relic, he brought his daughter to his face and breathed in her unique scent as he closed his eyes in reverence.

He was faintly aware that Kagome was helping clean Rin up, delivering the afterbirth and wrapping a padded fundoshi around her legs and rump. He turned to his mate, kneeled beside her, and showed her the face of their little one.

Rin didn’t speak aloud, but the joy he felt coming from their mated connection filled him completely. She was larger than a human newborn, nearly the size of a teething child. Her bright white hair had been finger combed out of her face, and soft puppy ears twitched at every new sound. Her forehead bore no crescent moon, but near the place where human ears would have been, the smallest of pale pink stripes sat. They were much shorter than Sesshomaru’s, and only single stripes on each side, but there was no doubt she was his.

Kagome quietly asked if he would like to consume the afterbirth, as InuYasha had when Taru was born. Sesshomaru agreed and ordered her to have Jaken place it somewhere safe. The midwife and her assistant quickly picked up their tools, gave their congratulations, and left before he could have them executed. It didn’t matter, anyway- Rin was safe, their pup was safe, and he could have his mother do it when he brought her granddaughter for her first visit.

“Rin… This one… _I…_ ” Sure they were alone, he gifted her with a small smile. “She is beautiful. And you are amazing. Thank you.”

Tears welled in her eyes again, despite how she beamed at him. “You have made Rin a mother, my lord. Every dream Rin has ever had, you have made a reality. Rin is grateful, and she loves you so much.”

He carefully leaned down and kissed her before passing their newborn to her. The pup‘s nose picked up the scent of nourishment, and she began to root against her mother’s robe, searching for the source. Sesshomaru watched as she opened her yukata and guided her breast to the little one’s lips. Once latched on, her tiny fingers splayed against the roundness there, and her eyes fluttered open. Brass colored irises made drowsy glances here and there, and as her tummy filled with milk, they closed again, content and warm and safe in her mother’s arms.

“Thank heavens Kagome was here,” Rin whispered. “Rin does not think she could have done it without her.” She ran her fingers through the girl’s hair as she nursed. “And she is so big!” She looked up at Sesshomaru. “Rin is sorry it is not a son…”

He shook his head, his finger curling to gently rub the pup’s cheek. “This one cares not. She is a beautiful girl, as is her mother.” He went on to remind her they had plenty of time to try for a son, and that both of them were worthy of his affection. When Rin yawned, he remembered what InuYasha had told him about the fatigue that came with delivery. His large hand cupped her face. “You are tired, dearest. You should rest and recover.”

Her hand covered his and she smiled sleepily at him. “Rin is exhausted, but she is grateful for this experience despite that.”

“Did you choose a wet nurse?” he asked.

“Kagome said she would show me how to nurse while in bed, so that she and InuYasha could leave us in peace sooner.” She kissed their daughter’s crown, the child’s hair nearly glowing in the lamplight. “She knows how uncomfortable their presence makes you, my lord. You may never be able to accept them as family, but they do respect you and your preferences more than you know.”

His large hand gently reached out and stroked the baby soft puppy ears on his daughter’s head. “Our daughter and InuYasha’s son… This one will not allow our differences to come between the next generation. They will be cousins and family in every sense of the word. This Sesshomaru knows how much Rin values the familial bonds that were stripped from her when she was young.”  He went on to tell her that he would make an effort to be kinder to his half-brother and his wife, even kinder than he had been as of late.

“Little babe, small and new,” Rin sang softly. “She could raise an army or move a mountain someday. But today she is small and new.” She grinned, drowsy yet so full of wonder and joy despite her exhaustion. “What shall we call her, Sesshomaru? How do you name an angel?”

“What are the loveliest names Rin has ever heard? Perhaps there is one among them that fits our pup perfectly.”

She murmured several names, gazing at their daughter, as if she were trying them on her like new kimono. Aiko, Fumio, Kimika, Chizue…

“Hikari,” Sesshomaru said softly when Rin drew a blank.

The pup opened her eyes and looked right at her father, as if she were choosing his suggestion for her name.

“Rin thinks that is perfect, and so does our daughter,” she replied with a smile. “Hikari shall be her name.”

Hikari closed her eyes and nuzzled Rin’s breast, content with the matter of her name and her meal. Sesshomaru’s lips curled gently.

“Hikari seems to have a strong personality already. This one is looking forward to the journey of raising her.”  He leaned down and kissed Rin’s lips. “Rin, this one is so proud of you for enduring the strain of labor and delivery with such grace, and one day, this Sesshomaru will give another child unto your womb.”

Rin smiled. “Rin will bear as many pups as her Lord will give her.”

His lips ghosted near her ear and he whispered, “The scent of childbirth is maddening to the beast and it is all this one can do to restrain himself from impregnating Rin again right now.”

She giggled, placing her hand on his chest and gently pushing him back. “Rin loves you, but please give her a chance to heal some before doing that!”

He licked her throat, from under her chin to behind her ear- an inu kiss she enjoyed when he would rut her. “Of course. This one hopes he doesn’t have to wait too long.”

There was a knock at the door- Kagome- and he allowed her to enter. She quickly showed Rin how to position herself and Hikari so she could lie in bed and sleep while the pup fed from her. She made sure there were plenty of diapers and swaddling within reach so that Rin wouldn’t have to leave the bed at all unless she wanted to.

“You have the appreciation and gratitude of this Sesshomaru and his family for all you have done,” he said, as he rose from the floor. “When Rin has recovered enough to travel, we would like to introduce Hikari to Taru. We would like for them to be able to mend the rift between their fathers.”

Kagome bowed. “We’d be honored, my lord. And Hikari is a lovely name.” He called for Jaken to ready Ah-Un and have them take InuYasha and Kagome back to their village, and to send for his mother’s seamstress to prepare Hikari with proper clothing befitting of her station. And then he and his family were alone once more.

Rin patted the mattress. “Come and sleep with us.”

“This one does not need sleep, you know this.”

“This one knows that you have been anxious and stirred up since Rin’s labor began. Come and rest with us.” He could feel how much she wanted him to just lie down with them, hold her and comfort her as she healed, bond with their daughter as they slept together. Sesshomaru kneeled and lay beside his mate and firstborn. His arm rested on Rin’s hip and his hand covered Rin’s as it cradled Hikari’s bottom. While they said nothing aloud, they spoke tenderly to each other through their mated connection. Before long, despite Sesshomaru’s words, they’d all fallen asleep as nightfall enveloped their home.


End file.
